[Met_help] Possible variations from NCEP's operational point_stat (VSDB) files

[John Halley Gotway]

Andy,

Good questions.

Regarding the message types, this is an excerpt from the PointStatConfig file:
// Specify a comma-separated list of PrepBufr message types with which
// to perform the verification.  Statistics will be computed separately
// for each message type specified.  At least one PrepBufr message type
// must be provided.
// List of valid message types:
//    ADPUPA AIRCAR AIRCFT ADPSFC ERS1DA GOESND GPSIPW
//    MSONET PROFLR QKSWND RASSDA SATEMP SATWND SFCBOG
//    SFCSHP SPSSMI SYNDAT VADWND
//    ANYAIR (= AIRCAR, AIRCFT)
//    ANYSFC (= ADPSFC, SFCSHP, ADPUPA, PROFLR)
//    ONLYSF (= ADPSFC, SFCSHP)
// http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/mmb/data_processing/prepbufr.doc/table_1.htm

In these comments, you can see how ONLYSF and ANYSFC are defined.  And I took these definitions from NCEP's verification code so they should match.

Regarding the order in which pressure level values are written out, it's rather arbitrary.  I wasn't aware that we were doing the opposite of NCEP.  I can easily change it to write it out in the 
opposite order.  What I'll do is allow users to specify them in either order... for example "TMP/P500-750" would be the same as "TMP/P750-500", but regardless of the order in which they're specified, 
I'll write them out as "TMP/P750-500".

Sound reasonable?

John

Andrew F. Loughe wrote:
> Hello MET!
> 
> In providing assistance to a user of the VSDB GUI, we found two
> issues that appear to be at variance with the way NCEP has structured
> their operational VSDB files:
> 
> (1)  From point_stat, there is an observation type called ADPSFC.
> How does this compare with NCEP's use of ONLYSF or ANYSFC?
> 
> Are ONLYSF and ANYSFC available in MET, to be compatible with NCEP's
> operational VSDB files?
> 
> (2)  NCEP has vertical layers like:  P850-700, P700-550, whereas
> the MET appears to produce layers that are oppositely named, like
> P700-1000.  NCEP's approach is lower level "dash" higher level.
> 
> Is this a possible bug, or the way it is meant to be?
> 
> 
> Here are the unique observation types and vertical levels (layers)
> from the operational NAM:
> 
>  > cat *vsdb | awk '{print $5}' | sort | uniq
> ADPUPA
> ANYAIR
> ANYSFC
> ONLYSF
> PROFLR
> VADWND
> 
> 
>  > cat *vsdb | awk '{print $9}' | sort | uniq
> P100
> P1000
> P1000-850
> P150
> P150-50
> P200
> P200-150
> P250
> P250-200
> P300
> P300-250
> P400
> P400-300
> P50
> P500
> P550-400
> P700
> P700-550
> P850
> P850-700
> SFC
> 
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> -Andy
>